FreeBSD—the powerful, flexible, and free Unix-like operating system—is the preferred server for many enterprises. But it can be even trickier to use than either Unix or Linux, and harder still to master.

Absolute FreeBSD, 2nd Edition is your complete guide to FreeBSD, written by FreeBSD committer Michael W. Lucas. Lucas considers this completely revised and rewritten second edition of his landmark work to be his best work ever; a true product of his love for FreeBSD and the support of the FreeBSD community. Absolute FreeBSD, 2nd Edition covers installation, networking, security, network services, system performance, kernel tweaking, filesystems, SMP, upgrading, crash debugging, and much more, including coverage of how to:

Use advanced security features like packet filtering, virtual machines, and host-based intrusion detection

Build custom live FreeBSD CDs and bootable flash

Manage network services and filesystems

Use DNS and set up email, IMAP, web, and FTP services for both servers and clients

Monitor your system with performance-testing and troubleshooting tools